For months, the two elemental sides of life in the DC Universe – the Red and the Green – have been coming together to defeat the Rot. This month, issues #17 of ANIMAL MAN and SWAMP THING serve as the official “Rotworld” finales. And in March, issues #18 of both series will be “Rotworld” epilogues, marking the ultimate conclusion for this monumental crossover event.

 

But what kinds of repercussions will the grand finale of “Rotworld” have on ANIMAL MAN and SWAMP THING?

 

“The expectation is that this will end up being an imaginary story that was a lot of fun but didn't really mean anything. We both knew that if we wanted to do one of those sort of stories, it would have to have some kind of real consequence afterwards,” ANIMAL MAN writer Jeff Lemire explained to IGN. “Or else it would have been pointless, you know? While certain things may snap back, there are definitely huge changes for both books that will stick and will really dramatically change the direction of both books moving forward.”


“With 18, you’ll see how everything has been building towards a change in the status quo and a kind of reimagining of certain parts of the mythology that were set up from the first issue that we did together,” SWAMP THING writer Scott Snyder continued to MTV GEEK. “For me, it’s not about pushing him or shocking people with anything, or doing anything to change him for the sake of changing him more than taking him to a place that we most feel the emotional and psychological transformation in him, we’ve been trying to build from the very beginning. I’m really proud of where we’re leaving him off”

 

For more from Lemire and Snyder about ANIMAL MAN #18, SWAMP THING #18, and the conclusion of the “Rotworld” crossover event, check out the full interviews that ran with the duo today on MTV GEEK, IGN, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES and NEWSARAMA. And be sure to visit all of these outlets for sneak peeks at the interior art for ANIMAL MAN #18 and SWAMP THING #18, both of which hit stores on March 6.